Court: No Retail Sale of Puppy Mill Dogs in Cook County

Pet stores in Cook County, Illinois, are still not allowed to sell puppies produced in inhumane, commercial, large-scale dog breeding facilities known as puppy mills. The United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois dismissed an attempt by the Missouri Pet Breeders Association to strike down the ordinance passed by Cook County Commissioners last year. Jonathan Lovvorn, senior vice president and chief counsel of animal protection litigation for The Humane Society of the United States, issued the following statement:

"This is the second ruling upholding state and local government authority to restrict the sale of puppy mill dogs at pet stores. The precedent these two courts have set, allowing states and local governments to restrict the sale of animals and animal products because of the inhumane manner of their production, should send a strong signal to all industries that abuse and harm these animals for profit.”

A federal court in Rhode Island upheld a similar East Providence ordinance last month.